Alex Bowman Ready to “Carry On the Legacy” of NASCAR Legend Jimmie Johnson in the 48 Car

It was a sad day for NASCAR fans when Jimmie Johnson drove around the Phoenix Raceway to complete his final laps. Having entertained audiences for 19 years, he retired from the Cup Series with a tremendously rich legacy.

Now in 2021, Alex Bowman has an incredible responsibility of guiding the No.48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro to some equally great results. Ahead of the season, he praised the Hendrick Motorsports icon that had spent two seasons with him as a teammate.

Bowman said, “I feel like obviously taking over the #88 from Dale Jr was something that probably helped prepare me for this quite a bit. But obviously being teammates with Jimmie for the last couple of years has been really special.”

Incredibly special to take over the No.48 car of Jimmie Johnson, stated Alex Bowman

“I learnt so much from him, it’s been unbelievable to have that guide to lean on and to learn from. So to take over the #48 is incredibly special, obviously with the accomplishments that he had in this car.”

Even though Johnson’s performances paled in comparison to his past glorious years, he kept his fighting spirit going until last year. Eventually, when he decided to depart the Cup Series, the seven-time champion felt Bowman was the right person to take over his car.

“So gonna do my best to just continue to add to the legacy of this car, and excited to share that really with my race team, you know.”

Bowman’s first acid test comes in the form of the 2021 Daytona 500

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“The #48 means a lot to Greg, he obviously won a lot of championships as a race engineer with this car. So for him to become crew chief of it is really cool, and all the guys are excited to get going,” concluded Bowman.

The 27-year-old’s first big challenge comes right off the bat with the Daytona 500 in a week’s time. Alongside crew chief Greg Ives, Bowman will identify the event as a great opportunity to showcase his potential.

So while the season is long and grueling, the new Hendrick Motorsports No.48 will do well to get off to a good start. With each passing race, hopefully then, he will look to maintain the legacy created by one of the sport’s most iconic drivers as well.

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